Jake Gyllenhaal returns to SNL tonight for the first time since 2007, showing off in his opening monologue just how long ago that was.
"It was like the first 400 Marvel movies," the Ambulance star joked. "To give you an idea of what it was like in 2007, the show I hosted had a sketch of George W. Bush, jokes about the first iPhone, and this is a picture of me from my monologue."
Then we cut to an image of Gyllenhaal in a wig and glitter gown, with Maya Rudolph, Amy Poehler and Kristen Wiig serving as her backup singers. "There I am, in complete drag, singing a song from Dreamgirls, where I play a gay cowboy," the host said. "That was actually probably the least problematic thing in that episode, but looking back, I feel like I was a completely different person."
Gyllenhaal then discussed the fact that he had developed a reputation as "this serious, intense method actor", despite the fact that he "wasn't even good enough" at delivering that kind of performance. "I remember for this movie Nightcrawlers, I went to the director and I was like, 'Get ready for me to lose 48 pounds and win an Oscar.' And then a week later I was like, 'How do you want to see the actor lose 36 pounds and win a Golden Globe? He joked. "Then, I showed up on set and was like, 'You look at a guy who's gained 10 pounds and doesn't care about rewards.'"
The truth is, Gyllenhaal explained, he was only "acting that way" because he thought that's what you needed to do to be a serious actor—and it caused him to forget "how to have fun." inspired.
"When I realized something I should have realized long ago - acting is really a stupid thing to do," he said. "It's showing off and it's fun, and it should be filled with joy. Well, I'm finally embracing that joy again, and that's why I'm back on this stage."
Gyllenhaal said he never thought SNL would be "calling in" again, given the fact that he debuted on the show so many years ago. In truth, he wasn't even sure he'd remember how to host. "But being here tonight," he said, "it seems like everything is suddenly coming back."
Gyllenhaal then gave a very committed performance of Celine Dion's "It's All Coming Back to Me Now", backed by Chloe Fineman, Ego Nvodim and Cecily Strong.
Gyllenhaal is joined on tonight's show by musical guest Camila Cabello. His opening monologue can be found above.